Process and machine for producing wadding material



A. E. COFRIN Aug. 30, 1932.

PROCESS AND MACHINE FOR PRODUCING WADDING MATERIAL Filed March 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HM HHIM Aug, 30, 1932. A. E. COFRIN PROCESS AND MACHINEFOR PRODUCING WADDING MATERIAL Filed March 26, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 30, 1932 AUSTIN n. corarn, or GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN PROCESS AND. MACHINE FOR PRODUGING WADDING MATERIAL Application filed March 26, 1931. Serial No. 525,536.

The invention relates to wadding material and has as an object the provision of a process and a machine for manufacturing the same.

The material produced by the process may be used for a large variety of purposes as antiseptic dressings, sanitary pads, packing material, and the like.

By the provision of the invention any ordinary paper making machine may, with the addition of an attachment, be utilized to produce the herein-described material, and by the process of the invention the material may be produced in indefinite lengths, which is a considerable advantage when the material is to be made up into articles of commerce by machinery.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a machine for producing the material in question and it is a further object of the invention to provide a process for producing material, and it is a further object of the invention to provide a machine and process such that the material may be produced in indefinite lengths.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings showing illustrative embodiments of the invention and wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portionYof the drying cylinder of a paper making machine and the attachment thereto provided by the invention, a portion of the latter being shown in section;

- Fig. 2 is an elevation of the showing of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view from the right of Fig. 1 showing the receiving trough;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modification; and Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 4. As shown the final drying cylinder'of a paper making machine is indicated at 10 partially broken away.- The machine of which this drying cylinder is a part, when the material of the invention is to be produced, is run in such manner as to produce a very tenuious sheet formed of as nearly a single layer of fibres as is possible. In other words ,the

sheet is to be asthin as it can be and still maintain coherence so as to be taken off from the drying roll 10 continuously.

This sheet is delivered from the roll toa trough 11, a doctor blade 12 being indicated in Fig, 3, shown as formed upon one side of the trough 11. As shown the bottom'of the trough is formed of a travelling belt but ex; perience with the machine shows that a solid immovable bottom will function perfectly without the moving belt. The sheet received go from the drying roll will, as shown in 3, crinkle into the bottom of the trough and is moved parallel with the surface of the drying roll, in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, as received. The thus 55 crinkled sheet 13 is drawn lengthwise through the trough 11 between gauge plates 14', 15 whereby it is compressed laterally and is then pressed under a roller 16 having an arcuate groove in its surface whereby it is {10 compressed vertically into a band 17, as indiat d n F g- 2- T an i then p sed through a revolving spool 18 mounted to revolve in bearing 19 driven by a belt 20 which in turn is driven by an electric motor 16 as 21. From the spool 18 the material passes between guide plates 22, 23 after which it passes between a pair of rollers 24, the upper of which is vertically slidable so as to rest with its weight upon the band. The mateso rial being drawn between the rollers 24 then passes to a winding drum, not shown, for storage. 3 s

The motor is indicated at 25 driving a reducing gear 26, the shaft 27 of which is arranged to drive the roll 16 by belt 28, and the rollers 24 by means of belt 29, which latter belt through the medium of conical pulleys 30, 31 is adapted to vary the speed of the rollers 24 so that the pull upon the rope or band of Wadding material may be properly adjusted to the speed of delivery of the material by the drying roll 10.

It will be seen that by varying the speed of take ofi by the rollers 24, as related .to the 25 speed of delivery of the material by the cylinder 10, the size of the rope or band of \vadding material may be varied through exceedingly wide limits. Since the material is formed of a sheet which is exceedingly tenu 9 ous, and the resulting band is made up of a large number of crinkled or applied layers I thereof, the material is exceedingly absorbent tachment for'taking the material 011' from the drying'roll 10 thereof and crinkling the same longitudinally of the sheetinstead of transversely as shown in F igs. 1, 2,,and 3. .Otherwise the machine utilizing the ap paratus of Figs. 4 and 5 will be similar'to that shown in Figs. land 2.

The revolving member18 will vcompress the material to some extent and produce a slight twist therein -whi'ch assists in the formation ofla homogeneous body'." Experionce with the' machine shows that the main portion of the twist produced by the member 18 occurs after passage of the material therethrough, contrary to what might beexpected. The member 18 is revolved with considerable speed and its entire revolution is not transmitted to the material. The material after passage through themember 18 is substantially cylindrical "and is then flattened by-the rollers24 for final preparation for use.

' T Minor-changes may be made in the physical embodiment of the invention within the scope, of the appended claims without 'de parting-from the spirit thereof.

1. The rocess of producing 'wadding material 'w ich comprises, gatheringa sub- 'stantially dry sheet of material of indefinite length into a loose rope-like mass of indefinite length, andloosely compacting said mass to a size desired foruse. 2. The process of producing wadding material which comprises,gathering a sheet of paper as delivered by the dry end of a paper'making machine into a loose elongated "mass and compressing said mass into a looselycompacted elongated body of indefinite "length; I 3.*The process of producing wadding 'material which comprises, so operating a paper making machine as to produce substantiallydry and exceedingly tenuous material, gathering said material as delivered .by

the machine into a loosely compactedbody of indefinite length. I

4.-The process of producing wadding material which comprises, producing a sheet of material by operation of a paper making machine,-simultaneously takingofi' said sheet "asproduced and gathering the sameinto a loosely compacted .body of indefinite length and determining the transverse dimensions of said body by adjusting the relative speeds I of take off and sheet production.

5. The process of producing wadding material which comprises, gathering sheet material by crinkling the material into loose folds, moving the gathered material in the 6. The process of producing wadding material which comprises, gathering material as delivered by a paper making machine by crinkling the material into loose folds, moving the gathered material in the direction of thelength of said folds as the material is delivered and gathered to provide an elongated mass of indefinite length and loose- "1y compacting said mass to a condition for use.

7. The. process --of producing 1 wadding material which "comprises, gathering material as delivered'by a pa er'making machine by'crinklingthe material into loose folds extending transverselyof the machine, movingsaid folds as the material is delivered, in the direction of the length of. the folds to provide an-elongated mass andloosel compacting said mass into a body of in efinite length. I, Y I 1 8. The process of producing Wedding material which comprises, gathering material as delivered by a paper making machine by crinklingthematerial into folds longitudinally thereof in the act of removin .the

material from the machine as produce and compacting the moving material to a desired density for-use while moving the material to preparationfor storage.

9. The process of producing wadding material which comprises, gathering a full widthisheet of material as delivered from the dry end. of a paper making machine into a loosely compacted mass of indefinite length,

and causing a twist in the material during its movement to preparation for storage.

- 10. In combination with a paper making mach1ne, wadd1ng making mechanism comprising means to gather the material as fast as delivered by the dry end of the machine into aloose continuous mass, and means to further compact said mass and move the same to pre arationfor storage, r

11. n combination with a paper making machine, wadding making mechanism comprising means to gather the material as fast as delivered by the machine into a loose mass, means to continually withdraw said mass as gathered,-a nd means in the path of movement of said mass to loosely compact the mass 'into the finished product.

12. In combination with a paper making machine, wadding making mechanism comprising a chute to receive the material .de-

livered b' the machine having a portion standing in thepath of direct movement of the delivered material to gather the same into a loose mass, and compressing rollers to withdraw saidmass as produced and loosely compact the same into condition for use.

5 ice 13. In combination with a paper making machine, wadding making mechanism comprising a chute to receive material delivered by the machine and gather the same into a loose mass, a pair of compressing rollers to draw the mass from the chute and loosely compact the same, and variable speed driving means for one of said rollers to adjust the speed of take-01f to the speed of delivery of material to the chute. I

14. A wadding making machine comprising, in combination, means to gather a continuous supply of sheet material into a loose mass of indefinite length, means to loosely compact said gathered mass as fast as produced and continuously deliver the same to preparation for storage.

15. A wadding making machine comprising, in combination, means to receive a continuous supply of sheet material and gather the same into a loose mass as a result of the movement of the material into the receiving means, withdrawing and compacting rollers driven to continuously withdraw the mass from the receiving means at a speed proportional to its formation to produce a loosely compacted body of wadding material of indefinite length.

16. A wadding making machine comprising, in combination, means to supply a continuous sheet of material, means to gather said sheet into loose transverse folds, means to continuously move said gathered material longitudinally of said folds to withdraw the same from said gathering means, and means to compact said material as withdrawn to produce a body of material of indefinite length.

17 A wadding making machine comprising, in combination, means to supply a continuous sheet of material, a chute to receive said sheet and gather the same into a loose mass, a pair of compression rollers adjacent an end of said chute, a second pair of compression rollers spaced from said first named rollers, means to drive one of said last named rollers whereby to draw said mass from the chute and by action of both pairs of rollers to loosely compact the mass to form a body of indefinite length of material for use.

18. A wadding making machine comprising, in combination, means to supply a continuous sheet of material, a chute extending transversely of the path of delivery of said sheet to receive and gather the same into a loose mass, a pair of compression rollers adjacent one end of the chute, one of said rollers having an arcuate groove, a second pair of compression rollers spaced from said first named rollers, means to drive one of said second named rollers to draw said mass from said chute between said first named rollers and means to vary the speed of said drive to adjust the rate of withdrawing mate rial from the chute with respect to the speed of supply.

19. A wadding making machine compristinuous supply of sheet material and to gather the same into a loose mass, spaced pairs of compression rollers between which rollers the mass is passed and by which it is withdrawn from the receiving means, a rotating hollow body through which the mass loosely compacted by said rollers is drawn to give the material a loose twist whereby to produce a body of material of indefinite length.

20. A wadding makingmachine comprising, in combination, means to deliver a continuous sheet of paper, a chute to receive and gather said sheet into a loose mass, a conveyor belt forming the bottom of said chute, a drive roller for said belt, a pressure roller coacting with said drive roller to compact said mass as it moves from the chute, a pair of compression rollers spaced from said first named rollers, means to drive said compression rollers to take away the partially compacted mass from the chute and to finally compress the same into a loosely compacted body of indefinite length.

AUSTIN E. OOFRIN.

in combination, means to receive a con- I 

